Bremerton Historic Preservation District Proposal

An example of positive changes possible in Bremerton's downtown residential neighborhood as part of the proposed project.

Above top, a photo of a house and vacant lot near Pacific Avenue and 12th street. Above bottom, a rendering of the house with an exterior grade entry door, locking double pane windows, gutters, a security light and a handrail for the front steps. The vacant lot is pictured as a "Historic Bremerton Community Garden" site awaiting adoption by local gardeners. Photo and illustration by the author.

Remaking Place: Bremerton Revitalization Project

Overview:This
proposal’s aim is to improve the quality of life for residents within the
downtown neighborhood by promoting a Historical Bremerton District. This
project encourages the preservation of the distinct architectural history of
Bremerton’s residential core, encourages civic pride and maintains the
availability of decent and affordable single-family residences by extending
property tax exemption to owners of these homes in exchange for making basic
safety and cosmetic improvements to their properties.

Currently Bremerton has a property tax
exemption program available to individuals and corporations for improving or
developing new or existing multi-unit residences within the area (Code
Publishing: Bremerton Municipal Code 3.78).By expanding BMC 3.78, the heart of Bremerton’s
residential core, dominated by early 20th century homes would also be
rejuvenated, adding greatly to the unification of the downtown businesses and the
surrounding residents. Benefits for the community would include: beautification
of the downtown residential core, encouraged destination tourism like that of
Port Townsend, opportunities for landowners to increase the value of their
properties, and meaningful improvements for the safety and well-being of the
core’s residents.

Background:Currently, the median household income in the district is a third less than
the rest of residential Bremerton at just under $27,000 per year, with nearly
37% of the residents within the area living below the poverty level. The area
supports a population density level two and a half times that of the rest of
Bremerton. The vast majority of residences are rentals, with a majority of
blocks in the area showing 80%-100% renter occupied homes (City-Data). Safety
concerns such as inadequate entry doors, lack of exterior lighting, and broken
or non-existent window and door locks make a secure and restful home an
unaffordable luxury for many residents. Many
of these homes are dilapidated: inadequate heating or cooling caused by under insulated
walls, attics and windows promote unsanitary and unhealthful living conditions
while draining tenant’s already limited resources with high utility bills. Failing
roofs patched with tarps, clogged or nonexistent gutters, and missing exterior
paint deteriorate value and squelch civic pride.

And yet, these homes are still
occupied. Renters still want to participate in the hope of having a home of
their own, a yard for their children or pets, a small garden, a piece of the
American Dream. Tenants of all income levels deserve these basic necessities: safe,
healthy community housing, and the choice between living in a modest single
family home or an apartment. Property owners who have modest holdings of
single-family units should be afforded the same tax benefits that are already offered
to large apartment complex owners under the existing code.With the city of Bremerton actively promoting
this amended tax incentive plan, more middle-income landlords would be
encouraged to improve their rental units to a base standard set by the city.

Covered Improvements:Within
this proposal eligible improvements would include: insuring minimum standards
of security such as deadbolts, exterior grade doors in entrances, peepholes,
working outdoor security lights, and locking windows.Installing energy efficient windows,
upgrading furnaces, water heaters, and installation of grounded electrical outlets
would increase energy savings and safety. Upgraded exterior paint and repairs
to roofs and gutters would increase the civic pride of the neighborhood and
encourage community involvement. In exchange for the tax exemption, owners
would be prohibited from raising rental rates of the properties during their
participation in the program. This would encourage more landlords to bring the
current housing within the proposed Historical District up to the minimum
standard. This must be encouraged if
Bremerton wants to implement a successful urban rejuvenation plan.

As part of the program, participating
landlords would display an,“I’m restoring Historic Bremerton”sign prominently in the yard while
improvements are being made. This would bolster community involvement, get
neighbors talking, and create a buzz. Additionally, many residents would gladly
assist their landlords in tasks such as painting and pruning, knowing that they
would enjoy these improvements without having their rents increase. Such
partnerships within the program would boost renters’ motivation to maintain
their yards and neighborhoods. Utilizing the untapped resources of citizen
involvement and civic pride would be a great side benefit to help promote the
Historic District Restoration Plan.

Current Examples:
Other communities have proven the positive social and economic impact a
restoration project can have on a neighborhood. Pasadena’s Bungalow Heaven
project is one example. This project, in preserving the distinct architecture
of the neighborhood not only brought the community together, improved living
conditions for residents and increased property values, but it also created a
bond among the residents that was instrumental in creating a safer, neighborly
community.Bob Kneisel, an early proponent of
Pasadena’s project writes about organizing the Bungalow Heaven historic
district program: “This victory gave us a new sense of power
and of community. We started to see our neighborhood not just as rows of
houses, but as our own turf, a place we all liked, we all shared in, and were
now working to preserve.” The project also revealed to residents the necessity
for proactive community involvement to solve local issues. Kneisel continues: “In canvassing the
neighborhood and talking about the need to preserve it by becoming a Landmark
District, we discovered that a host of other issues concerned our neighbors.
Some were alarmed at rising crime. Others didn’t like all the traffic. The park
was a mess. Abandoned vehicles (and houses) were problems.” While creating the
historic district, Bungalow Heaven also began a successful Neighborhood Watch
which lowered the incidence of crime and nuisance properties, and increased
community pro-activism. As an added bonus, Bungalow Heaven was placed on the National
Registry of Historic Places in 2008, and has been featured by national and
international media. This community recognized the unique character of its
historic housing, and found a way to use that to improve conditions while
gaining international recognition.

By fostering a similar program, Bremerton could
also benefit as a community through increased tourism. Just as the City’s new
Fountain Parks showcase our nautical heritage and the vital role the Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard has played in shaping Bremerton’s history, the historic
neighborhoods that housed so many War-Era shipbuilders can be showcased as part
of our regional heritage. By extending this theme into the proposed Historic
District, Bremerton can connect Evergreen Park to the Fountain Parks with a
Historic District pedestrian corridor. This would bring increased foot traffic
and potential commerce to Pacific Avenue businesses, and extend Bremerton’s
Revitalization along major corridors.

Renovation is cost effective. In a
related story, Habitat for Humanity recently completed a renovation of an older
home in Bremerton. The Kitsap Sun reported that the project, completed in early
February 2012, took half the time and half the money of their usual new
construction projects (Phan). Habitat could prove to be a valuable partnership
for the Historic Preservation Project. Other community resources could be
utilized to support this plan, such as local shelter and community action groups,
youth organizations, and vocational training programs or student service groups
from Olympic College and area high schools. These could be inexpensive labor
alternatives for home owners who would like to take part in the Preservation
Program, but lack initial capital for improvements.

The Historic District Space:A
community district is defined by its characteristics: architectural styles,
resident involvement, and civic pride; but it is not just the buildings that
shape a place. A neighborhood’s open spaces play a vital role as well. Vacant lots with overgrown brush, construction
waste and litter encourage crime; they become havens for rodents and leave residents
feeling unsafe in their own neighborhood.For these reasons, property owners of vacant land would also be eligible
for the incentive program by cleaning up and offering their lot as a Historic
District Community Vegetable Garden, available for use by residents within the
zone. By cleaning up construction debris, refuse and invasive plants, tilling
the lot, seeding a cover crop of low-cost, hardy annual sunflowers and
prominently displaying a, “This lot available for adoption as a Historic
Bremerton Community Garden”sign, the owner would also be eligible for the benefit afforded currently
in BMC Chapter 3.78. Once a garden was adopted, it would be replanted and
maintained by neighborhood gardeners who pledged to maintain the personal use
garden to a minimum standard.

Conclusion:As
Bremerton works toward enhancing its downtown core, improving its park to park
corridors and bringing commerce and enthusiastic residents to its center, its
historic residential district adds an opportunity to strengthen its residential
core. By encouraging the city’s property owners to invest in the community,
Bremerton would invest in the residents who could become the downtown’s
greatest allies and supporters. Residents who have something to take pride in
are active participants with a stake in seeing Downtown Bremerton’s Sub Area
Plan succeed. A community who takes pride in itself and its surroundings is a
healthy prosperous community, and a commerce friendly environment in downtown’s
business district will become successful if the residential areas surrounding
the core are also welcoming, positive functioning neighborhoods.

A comparison of data from the proposed historic district and the rest of BremertonBremerton’s Historic Downtown Neighborhood defined asChester Avenue to Washington Avenue, Burwell Street to 11th Street (City-Data: 2009)

Proposed Downtown Historic District
Preservation zonesmap
adapted from the City of Bremerton Downtown Regional Center Sub Area Plan
Northern orientation; no given scale. 2007
http://www.ci.bremerton.wa.us/forms/communitydev/subarea/DowntownSAP_Board.pdf